Mint Explainer: India gets its first Airbus C295 aircraft. Why it matters
₹21,935 crore, the purchase will help refurbish the Indian Air Force’s aging Avro-748 transport fleet. Here’s why it matters In September 2021, India signed a deal with aviation giant Airbus for 56 such C295 transport aircraft. Under the terms of the deal, India would receive 16 aircraft assembled in Spain, while the remaining 40 would be assembled in India.
The country’s armed forces took delivery of the first aircraft, assembled in Spain, on Wednesday. The planes will be assembled in Vadodara, Gujarat in partnership with Tata Advanced Systems Limited. The C295 is expected to replace India’s aging Avro-748 transport fleet, which was first flown in 1961.
Replacing these aircraft will be vital for India to improve its military capabilities “The aircraft, with a flight endurance of up to 11 hours, can carry out multi-role operations under all weather conditions. It can routinely operate day and night combat missions from desert to maritime environments. It has a rear ramp door for quick reaction and para-dropping of troops and cargo.
Short take-off/land from semi-prepared surfaces is another of its features," the Ministry of Defence said about the C-295 aircraft. It is expected to cater to missions ranging from carrying troops and cargo to surveillance and disaster relief missions. The deal is also significant since it is the first time a private company will manufacture military aircraft in India.
Typically, this role was dominated by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It is hoped that assembling this aircraft in India will also provide a fillip to the larger defence ecosystem in the country. Not only is the project expected to create high-skilled jobs, but it is also likely to spur the development of
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